TB Tests Tuberculosis (TB) is a very contagious disease. It is spread through the air, making it a very dangerous thing. To combat the risks of spreading TB in hospitals and other people in the medical field, most of these facilities require employees to get a yearly TB test. In this test, they inject a small injection of a protein that the only TB bacteria can recognize. This injection looks like a small bubble under your skin for a short time. If it swells up a little, it usually means you are positive, but it also detects if you have been in contact with TB, not just if you have it. The main objective of this is that it is much easier to treat it before you show symptoms than after. This is because it detects people with LTBI (Latent TB Infection), which is someone who is infected with TB but the bacteria is dorment. They show no symptoms and are not contagious. Health care providers use this test as a preventative measure to stop workers from unknowingly spreading the disease to patients, especially those with compromised immune systems.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a very contagious disease. It is spread through the air, making it a very dangerous thing. To combat the risks of spreading TB in hospitals and other people in the medical field, most of these facilities require employees to get a yearly TB test. In this test, they inject a small injection of a protein that the only TB bacteria can recognize. This injection looks like a small bubble under your skin for a short time. If it swells up a little, it usually means you are positive, but it also detects if you have been in contact with TB, not just if you have it. The main objective of this is that it is much easier to treat it before you show symptoms than after. This is because it detects people with LTBI (Latent TB Infection), which is someone who is infected with TB but the bacteria is dorment. They show no symptoms and are not contagious. Health care providers use this test as a preventative measure to stop workers from unknowingly spreading the disease to patients, especially those with compromised immune systems.
Positive TB skin tests